Chris

Chris, a 33-year old single father of three small children, came to the PADS Shelter for the first time in August. After being laid off from his full-time job, he had to make hard choices. Pay rent or buy groceries for the month; continue sending his 6, 5 and 4 year olds to daycare while he looked for work or filling up his gas tank so that he could get where he needed to go. All while trying to keep his head above water. Despite making enormous personal sacrifices, his choices kept getting harder until finally, there was no other option but to bring his family to the shelter. Immediately, the staff in the shelter began working with Chris on a plan. He began meeting with the housing team to talk about options for apartments. He also worked with the Prevail employment program to learn some new, marketable skills and speed up his job search.

Three months later, Chris now has a part-time job, and is getting close to moving back into his own apartment. Despite the challenges he has faced, Chris
says, “it’s been rough, but I’m in good hands with a good organization. The people at Housing Forward are wonderful. They’re helping me and my children get back on our feet. I’m so grateful that God put the right people in my life in my time of need. Without them I don’t know where I’d be right now. With the holidays coming up, I try to keep my head high and keep moving forward because I know that better things are coming along for us.”